[size=150]UPDATE: Archer and Beta missiles are GO.[/size]
I’ll be doing a few more missiles, this time non-capital related, then moving onto ships and energy weapons. These will be kind of better then the current missiles, by a fairly large amount. Keep in mind these are the first piece of a longer term development strategy from Rebel Fleet Command R&D!
As you can guess from the title, this mod is NOT ready for release. It is a work heavily in progress. I am making this thread to post my current ideas and bottlenecks and get advice, as well as to actually keep myself on task. The “Notes” section will be updated weekly.
Ah, progress. How many innovations have come out of the horrors of war and death? Surely more then can be recognized! And while many of these innovations may even have peaceful applications, there are times when the R&D departments of the various factions have to just say “screw it, our weapons/shields/armor just aren’t good enough!” This spurs research, development, and the eventual fielding of new, upgraded, and stronger parts.
[size=150]Modules:[/size]
Archer-Class Anti-Cruiser Missile
[code][config]
unlockcost = 0
lockable = 0
armour_penetration = 52
category = “WEAPONS”
classname = “SIM_MissileModule”
cost = 377
crew_required = 35
damage = 13
decoy_release_range = 450
description = If your crew isn’t going blind from updating firing solutions, then you’re using the wrong kind of missile!’-- Commander Raymond Saliron, Captian of the RNS Experimental Weapons Testing Platform “Archer”."
fire_interval = 1405
flareuvid = 0
fuel = 1400
guiname = “Archer-Class Anti-Cruiser Missile Launcher”
has_decoys = 1
has_flare = 1
hitpoints = 205
icon = turret
min_range = 270
max_range = 1500
missilelength = 4.0
missilespeed = 0.32
missilewidth = 2.0
name = “cruiser archermissile”
powerconsumed = 24
shield_penetration = 48
size = “CRUISER”
sound = data/sounds/missile_launch.ogg
soundvolume = 1.0
submunitionslive = 1
tracking_speed = 0.6
trail_fade_time = 700
turnspeed = 0.75
turret_sprite = “turret_miss_v3”
turretsize = 12.0
warhead = EXPLOSIVE
weight = 310
slot_type = TURRET
uisortpos = 1125
[dataitems]
0 = cost,DECIMAL
1 = weight,DECIMAL
2 = hitpoints,DECIMAL
3 = powerconsumed,DECIMAL
4 = max_range,DECIMAL
5 = damage,DECIMAL
6 = fire_interval,INTEGER
7 = tracking_speed,DECIMAL
8 = shield_penetration,DECIMAL
9 = armour_penetration,DECIMAL
10 = crew_required,INTEGER
11 = min_range,DECIMAL
12 = has_decoys,BOOL
13 = missilespeed,DECIMAL
[/code]
Beta-Class Anti-Capital Missile
[code][config]
unlockcost = 0
lockable = 0
armour_penetration = 80
category = “WEAPONS”
classname = “SIM_MissileModule”
cost = 200
crew_required = 27
damage = 75
decoy_release_range = 250
description = “Some people think the best way to kill capital ships is by swarming them to death. The designers of this missile are clearly not of this school of thought.”
fire_interval = 2600
flareuvid = 0
fuel = 2200
guiname = “Beta-Class Missile Launcher”
has_decoys = 1
has_flare = 1
hitpoints = 105
icon = turret
min_range = 300
max_range = 750
missilelength = 4.0
missilespeed = 0.12
missilewidth = 2.0
name = “cruiser betamissile”
powerconsumed = 35
shield_penetration = 65
size = “CRUISER”
sound = data/sounds/missile_launch.ogg
soundvolume = 1.0
tracking_speed = 0.35
trail_fade_time = 1000
turnspeed = 0.5
turret_sprite = “turret_miss_v5”
turretsize = 12.0
warhead = EXPLOSIVE
weight = 233
slot_type = TURRET
uisortpos = 1135
[dataitems]
0 = cost,DECIMAL
1 = weight,DECIMAL
2 = hitpoints,DECIMAL
3 = powerconsumed,DECIMAL
4 = max_range,DECIMAL
5 = damage,DECIMAL
6 = fire_interval,INTEGER
7 = tracking_speed,DECIMAL
8 = shield_penetration,DECIMAL
9 = armour_penetration,DECIMAL
10 = crew_required,INTEGER
11 = min_range,DECIMAL
12 = has_decoys,BOOL
13 = missilespeed,DECIMAL[/code]
This mod will come in phases:
Phase 1: Weapon upgrades. These will be upgraded modules, only 1-2 per race. Each one will play off what is the percieved strength of the race, and while not brutally overpowered will generally be comprable to the strongest module of that type available.
[CURRENT PROGRESS: Working on Rebel Archer- and Beta- Missiles]
Phase 2: Module Upgrades. Faster engines, larger crew compartments, higher degrees of automation, better anti-missile or ECM defense, lighter armor, thicker shields… The stuff that’s designed to counter the upgraded weapons. Again, these won’t be made to be over powered. They’ll be designed to play off the weaknesses of the modules from phase 1.
Phase 3: Hulls. This is what every R&D nut dreams of getting approved, a capital ship hull. Big, covered in engines and defenses, these mobile warstations can capture or clear entire systems with just a light supporting fleet. These were what the modules from phase 1 and 2 are meant to be used on. They will be balanced a lot more agressivly then the other things in this mod. After all, a 20 hardpoint 40 standard module ship would be big, expensive and SLOW. After i finish this phase, i’ll see about adding ideas people have.
Of course, throughout there will be balance tests.
NOTES:
10/20/10
The current modules i’m working on, the Archer and Beta missiles, are extensions of both the missile doctrine i use personally when building my offensive fleets and that i feel would be more realistic.
The Archer missile is a missile with an extended range (~1250-1300 at the moment) and a faster flight time, with superb shield penetration (27 atm, considering if there’s any way to drop this to say 23 and create a module that will buff shield penetration, but so far no luck) and a high tracking speed, slightly higher then that of the Fast Missile. It separates it’s decoys just beyond current point defense ranges, or 450, although it is lacking the Multi-warhead feature.
CURRENT ISSUES: tuning balance of damage, armor pen and shield pen. Refire rate (looking for a high refire rate, but in tests if it goes to high even at 2 damage it can blow through just about everything.)
I finished the flavor text of the Beta-Missile earlier. “Hailed as the 'magic bullet” for killing cruisers out beyond energy weapon range, the designers of this missile finally decided to just think BIG. Combining the advantages of all the missiles, they created this Behometh-Class Anti-Cruiser Missile, or Beta-Missile." This is a truly massive missile, with it’s weight at 233 for testing purposes. It has massive armor pen, huge shield pen, Mega-ton range damage and a multi-warhead feature packed into a Fast-missile range. Conversly, it’s flight speed is a crawl, it has a long refire time, the tracking speed is .2, and it drops it’s decoys at 100, well within the engagement envelope of the current anti-missile defenses.
CURRENT ISSUES: Getting the coding right for this module, making it distinct enough from the other modules that it has a role. While it’s damage means it needs to be able to be intercepted easily with default modules, if it’s to slow it is useless and won’t be used.
10/28/2010
Bleh, getting sick never ever helps ANYTHING.
Still working (very slowly) on my Archer- and Beta missile’s, the problem I’m running into is the lack of a clearly defined role for each. With the Beta as it is now it’s a slow, single warhead (with decoys) missile that seperates from it’s decoys at i think 350 (or within PD range of most of the cruiser modules). The problem is that with it as slow as it is, even 1 or 2 PD emplacements per ship can knock out the entire volley well enough to take out the missile ~75% of the time. Whereas the archer is a fast, long range multi-warhead missile that seperates JUST outside PD range. It’s slightly faster then the Fast missile, out ranges the Cruiser missile by ~10%, and has ~a 10% faster refire rate. however, to compensate for this i had to drop damage; which means that even with those other buffs it isn’t working out to the same damage/missile ratio’s i get with fast or cruiser’s. So some more SERIOUS tweaking is needed, sadly.
To do: Work on initial designs for capital ships.
11/1/2010
Archer and Beta missiles are released!